‘It was the funniest thing,” said Zandra Rhodes, whose production of “Aida” will be presented by the San Diego Opera for the first time on April 20.

Rhodes was remembering a call she received from a friend in 1985 about doing a show in La Jolla. The acclaimed British designer had just released her first book, “The Art of Zandra Rhodes,” and she figured it might be good promotion.

“So we flew to this little, tiny village, La Jolla, and I did this show and this exhibition at the museum (now the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego),” Rhodes said. “And all the ladies, Carolyn Yorston and several others, met me in pink wigs.”

Yorston, who has remained close friends with Rhodes, also remembers the event at Sherwood Auditorium.

“At the time, I don’t think we knew much about Zandra Rhodes,” said Yorston, then a member of the museum’s board and the chair of the event. “Of course, we had no idea she would end up living here. But we had heard she wore pink hair. So we met her at the Whaling Bar, which at the time was the local hangout. And when she came in, there we were with our pink hair. We just melted her heart.”

It was the beginning of, as they say, a beautiful friendship between Rhodes and San Diego.

Interview with Zandra

She moved here a decade later when her partner decided he wanted to retire by the sea. And although she has continued to divide her time between Del Mar and London, where she founded the Fashion and Textile Museum in 2003, she has indelibly woven herself into the fabric of the community through her involvement with numerous cultural, educational and health care organizations.

She’s become a local institution, even if she’s never given up the label of “English fashion designer” (to quote Wikipedia and numerous other references to her online).

“When I first came here, I thought I would build things up and do a lot more here,” Rhodes said. “But I’ve found people were really more interested in me being British than anything else, so I’ve left it at that.

“I think everyone has expected me to be me.”

In Rhodes’ world, that’s the bottom line. Her international career as a designer and artist is based on her being herself, as evidenced by her presence in major museums (her designs will be prominently displayed in the upcoming “PUNK: Chaos to Couture” exhibit at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art) and in the wardrobes of individuals ranging from HRH Princess Michael of Kent to Sarah Jessica Parker.

But San Diego did facilitate a third jewel in her crown: She’s a highly regarded opera designer, which she says wouldn’t have happened without the help of the San Diego Opera. In the late ’90s, Ian Campbell, the company’s director, not only invited her to design costumes for a new production of “The Magic Flute,” but he was willing to protect her vision.

“When I was first asked to do ‘The Magic Flute,’ I was introduced to (director) Michael Hampe, and I don’t think he really knew my work,” Rhodes said. “So he said, ‘I want the priests in black T-shirts.’ ”

Rhodes, of course, is all about color. Waves of color. Explosions of color. Riots of color.

“I called Ian and I said, ‘Ian, I’m not trying to be difficult, but if you are going to raise the money to do it, and I don’t mean the money for me, I mean the money to do the opera, if it doesn’t have something about me, (then what’s the point?) And I don’t think black T-shirts are going to be the answer.’

“So he kind of took Michael to one side and worked it out.”

When Campbell subsequently commissioned her to do “The Pearl Fishers,” there were fewer issues, as she designed both sets and costumes in a production that has traveled to more than a dozen opera companies in the U.S. and Canada.

For her “Aida,” the Houston Grand Opera and the English National Opera (after Opera Pacific, the original co-producer, folded) stepped forward. That production was also presented by the San Francisco Opera with great success and should find an enthusiastic reception here.

“Aida,” which will be directed here by Andrew Sinclair, is vintage Rhodes in its bold colors, unbridled imagination and sense of fantasy. Her imprint is unmistakable.

“I like to think what I do is always personal,” Rhodes said. “I want people to know it’s Zandra Rhodes. Not to wonder, is it or isn’t it?”

Verdi’s “Aida”

When: 7 p.m. April 20, April 23, and April 26; 2 p.m. April 28

Where: San Diego Opera at San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown